Out of Sync: Body Clocks Altered at Cell Level in Depression
Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the
night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of
humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in
sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep,
moods and much more.
But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.
It's the first direct evidence of altered circadian rhythms in the
brain of people with depression, and shows that they operate out of sync
with the usual ingrained daily cycle.
Read at http://bit.ly/17ZUEYE
Image: The researchers used gene expression patterns to try to predict
the time of death for each person in the study (inner circles), and then
compared it with the actual time of death (outer circles). The two
matched closely in healthy people, as shown by the short lines between
the two points in the left diagram. But in depressed people, the two
were out of sync, as seen with the longer lines at right. (Credit: Image
courtesy of University of Michigan Health System)
Out of Sync: Body Clocks Altered at Cell Level in Depression
Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods and much more.
But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.
It's the first direct evidence of altered circadian rhythms in the brain of people with depression, and shows that they operate out of sync with the usual ingrained daily cycle.
Read at http://bit.ly/17ZUEYE
Image: The researchers used gene expression patterns to try to predict the time of death for each person in the study (inner circles), and then compared it with the actual time of death (outer circles). The two matched closely in healthy people, as shown by the short lines between the two points in the left diagram. But in depressed people, the two were out of sync, as seen with the longer lines at right. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Michigan Health System)
Every cell in our bodies runs on a 24-hour clock, tuned to the night-day, light-dark cycles that have ruled us since the dawn of humanity. The brain acts as timekeeper, keeping the cellular clock in sync with the outside world so that it can govern our appetites, sleep, moods and much more.
But new research shows that the clock may be broken in the brains of people with depression -- even at the level of the gene activity inside their brain cells.
It's the first direct evidence of altered circadian rhythms in the brain of people with depression, and shows that they operate out of sync with the usual ingrained daily cycle.
Read at http://bit.ly/17ZUEYE
Image: The researchers used gene expression patterns to try to predict the time of death for each person in the study (inner circles), and then compared it with the actual time of death (outer circles). The two matched closely in healthy people, as shown by the short lines between the two points in the left diagram. But in depressed people, the two were out of sync, as seen with the longer lines at right. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Michigan Health System)
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